The Structure of SG-1
by fantasdancer
Summary: Hammond dosen't approve of Teal'c and Daniel on SG-1 - Jack has to pursuade him otherwise.


"Jackson's a civilian, Colonel, and Teal'c is an alien," said Hammond over his shoulder as he headed into his office.

"The Airforce uses civilians in lots of consulting positions, sir."

"Yes we do, Colonel." Hammond dropped paperwork onto his desk and took a seat waving his hand at the chair opposite his desk.

Jack O'Neill took the seat with the air of a man about to argue his commanding officer's ears off.

"I think you need to rethink your team carefully, Colonel. SG-1 will be our front line team. You don't know what we're going to find out there, but for my money, I'd want the toughest marines backing me up that I could get my hands on. With civilians on your team you're going to have to watch their backs as well as your own."

Jack frowned thoughtfully and opened his mouth to give his opinion but Hammond cut in first.

"Putting Dr Jackson in the field is asking for trouble. From what I've read about him he's got no hand to hand defence training what so ever. He dislikes weapons of any kind and he's a failed archaeologist by trade. As for this Teal'c – we don't know enough about the man yet to trust him with anything more than a teaspoon."

"I wouldn't say that, sir," said Jack. "He's turned his back on his own people to save our asses. He's motivated to get rid of those Goa'uld things just the same as we are, and he pledged his loyalty and his skills to us. And I'd take that promise over just about anyone elses. He's a professional soldier with fantastic reflexes and he's stronger than any man I've ever met."

"Yes, I've read that report as well. Doctor Warner says he could break a man in two like a tooth pick and not even break into a sweat."

"Something that might come in handy in some situations." Jack grinned lopsidedly. "As you said sir, SG-1 are going to be the front line team. We need as broad a spectrum of skills and knowledge as we can get. Carter's combat trained and she's got that science thing going. Teal'c' knows the enemy plus he's had decades of combat training and has knowledge of planets and the sorts of creatures and whatever that we might come across. He's useful just in that he knows a hell of a lot more about what's going on out there than we do. Jackson … ."

"Yes Jackson," interrupted Hammond with heavy disapproval. He pulled forward a file and flipped through it to the relevant pages. "From your own report, I see that he disobeyed orders more than once. He broke cover twice and got you and Captain Carter thrown into a prison cell. He doesn't seem to have any self-preservation instincts what-so-ever either. Ferreti mentioned that he didn't have the sense to duck even under direct enemy fire. Lord knows how he managed to come through with only a concussion and some bruises to show."

"I know he needs some training up sir. Okay, _lots_ and lots of training up. But not only is he the guy that got the Gate operational in only a couple of weeks, he's also had more time off world than any person on our planet."

"That's only one planet in the entire galaxy, Colonel."

"Yeah, we need Teal'c for the others, sir. But Jackson knows a lot about ancient cultures. We would never have gotten off Abydos if he hadn't worked out how to communicate with the natives – in ancient Egyptian mind you. It's a dead language sir, it hasn't been spoken in centuries and then the language has drifted some as well – but it took Daniel only a couple of hours to get fluent. He did the same thing when we got to Chulak only it took him less than five minutes to get the priests talking to him. He speaks something like twenty three languages and half of them are extinct ones. I'm pretty damned sure that he could get fluent in just about anything he puts his mind to, given enough time."

"Be that as it may, it won't do you any good if he's disobeying orders at every turn."

"Yup, I know sir. He's got rough edges, but he's also highly motivated to be on the team."

"That's another thing, Colonel. Jackson is working off a different agenda to ours. He's looking for his wife and brother in law. Can you say for sure that he … ."

"It's like anything sir. I can't say for sure exactly what anyone's gonna do until I get to know the man well enough. But I'm told I've got great instincts for this sort of thing and my instincts are screaming that I'd rather have him at my back than a marine any day of the week. Sir.

Hammond regarded the Colonel for a long moment before sighing. "It's your team, Colonel. I'll sign off on whatever you decide. But I want you to keep your mind open to the possibility of having to make changes if your team isn't working out as well as you seem to think it will."

"Yes sir, thank you sir."


End file.
